Giving Tuesday 2025: Help Us Unleash the Genius Within Every Child
Thank you for being part of our Genius School family. As we step into Giving Tuesday, we are inviting our community to stand with us in building one of the most innovative educational models in Indiana — a school rooted in rigorous academics, neuroscience-informed learning, biblical values, and culturally grounded excellence.
Every day, our scholars experience growth that transforms their futures.
Because of supporters like you, The Genius School has:
- Delivered nearly two years of academic growth for many students in a single year
- Built a faith-centered culture grounded in love, structure, and purpose
- Integrated neuroscience and meditation practices into daily routines
- Offered small-class, individualized instruction that meets every child where they are
- Served families seeking a school where their children are seen, known, and loved
“When I walked through the doors the very first time, I felt love. I felt peace.”​
— Sarah Thomas, parent
WHERE YOUR DONATION GOES
Every dollar given on Giving Tuesday goes straight into strengthening the parts of our school that matter most for student growth. Here’s how your support makes a direct, immediate impact:
Curriculum Expansion for K–7
Your gift helps us continue building high-quality curriculum materials — including custom reading passages, science content, enrichment units, and differentiated supports that meet students at their exact learning level.
Our Neuroscience-Based “Science of Genius” Model
Funding allows us to deepen our work with NSDR, meditation routines, emotional-regulation practices, and movement-based learning that support students’ focus, memory, and self-control.
Small Class Sizes & Individualized Instruction
Your support helps us maintain low student-to-teacher ratios so every child receives targeted small-group time, one-on-one conferences, and flexible instruction matched to their needs.
Scholarships for Families
A portion of Giving Tuesday contributions goes toward tuition assistance, helping families who want a high-agency, faith-centered education but need support to make it possible.
New Extracurricular & Leadership Opportunities
Your generosity helps us launch programs that build confidence and leadership — including clubs, arts experiences, martial arts, student-led presentations, and Genius Conferences.
Your gift isn’t abstract. It goes straight into classrooms, teachers, curriculum, and opportunities that shape the futures of the children we serve.
RIGOROUS, HIGH-QUALITY ACADEMICS
At The Genius School, we keep academics at the center of the day. Students read real books, practice new vocabulary, write often, and work through math in ways that help them truly understand what they’re doing. Our routines are steady and predictable, which helps students build skills over time without feeling rushed or lost. Classrooms feel calm and focused, but also energetic — students know what to do, and teachers guide them with clarity and care.
We also give students chances to learn about ideas that usually don’t show up until much later in school. Topics from brain science, social studies, and even early AP-level concepts are introduced in simple, age-appropriate ways. Our teachers write their own reading passages so complex subjects can be explained clearly. Students talk about real issues, ask questions, and connect their learning to the world around them — not just what’s on a worksheet.
NEUROSCIENCE, MINDFULNESS & EMOTIONAL WELLNESS
A significant part of our work is teaching students how their brains and bodies respond to stress, learning, and everyday challenges. Instead of expecting children to “just focus” or “calm down,” we show them how through simple routines throughout the day.
One of the most important is NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest) — a short, guided moment where students close their eyes, rest their bodies, and practice steady breathing. It gives their brains a chance to reset, helps them stay focused longer, and supports memory and emotional regulation.
All grade levels also use breathing exercises, grounding activities, short meditations, and movement-based routines. Some practices last 30 seconds, others a few minutes. Students learn to pause when something feels hard, take a breath before responding, and give themselves space to think.
These aren’t just “calming moments.” They are tools students carry into every part of their lives — home, sports, church, and friendships.
“When I walked through the doors the very first time, I felt love. I felt peace.”​
— Sarah Thomas, parent
SMALL CLASSES & INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT
Our class sizes remain intentionally small so teachers can give each child real attention. In classrooms this size, teachers notice early when a student needs a new approach, more time, or a greater challenge—instruction shifts based on what students actually need, not what a pacing guide says.
Students who need support get it during the school day through targeted small-group work. Students who are ready for more advanced material are moved forward without hesitation. It’s common here for children to work above grade level in specific subjects — not because of pressure, but because the work matches their readiness.
This responsiveness is possible because we know our students deeply. Families tell us their children feel understood and genuinely supported — and that sense of belonging makes a difference in how students approach learning.
“They don’t pigeonhole your child. There are no limits here.”​
— Phillip Thomas, parent
BIBLICAL IDENTITY & CHARACTER FORMATION
Faith is interwoven throughout the week in ways that feel natural and meaningful. Students begin their week in Chapel, where they explore scripture, learn a character habit for the month, and talk about how those ideas apply to their lives. Teachers revisit those habits throughout the week so students learn how to practice patience, kindness, self-control, courage, and integrity in real situations.
Prayer, reflection, and affirmations are part of daily classroom life. Students learn to see themselves through the lens of their God-given identity — capable, purposeful, and loved.
Families often tell us they see this impact at home: the way their children pray, the way they talk about challenges, and the pride they feel in doing the right thing even when it’s hard.
LEADERSHIP, INQUIRY & REAL-WORLD THINKING
Along with daily academic routines, we expose students to ideas that help them understand how the world works. This includes simple political science concepts in ELA passages, foundational ideas from our AP Sciences thread, and classroom inquiry that encourages students to ask thoughtful questions.
Students learn how to listen, analyze, explain their thinking, and participate in respectful discussions. Older students learn how to build arguments, respond with evidence, and connect what they read to their own lives.
These experiences build thinkers, speakers, and emerging leaders—children who feel capable of contributing to the world around them.
WHY GIVING TUESDAY MATTERS
This year, we are working to raise $25,000 in 24 hours. These funds support:
- Small class sizes
- Daily small-group instruction
- Science of Genius routines
- Curriculum development and enrichment
- Scholarships and family support
- New leadership and extracurricular opportunities
When you give, you are investing directly in students who are learning to read deeply, think critically, manage their emotions, grow in their faith, and understand their own God-given potential.
Be Part of the Transformation
Together, we can close achievement gaps, nurture the whole child, and transform learning outcomes for students across Indianapolis.